

Ocean by apasciuto is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
This week I read a new poem – “Cape Cod Pantoum,” by Maria Narzos – that a friend shared with me. You can read it or listen to it here, in The New Yorker. I’ve written a couple of Pantoum poems before, and this poem inspired me to try a new one.
The traditional form for the Pantoum poem is in 4 stanzas, each stanza of four lines, with a particular rhythm of repetition. … Don’t miss the note at the end of the poem for more information about the Pantoum!
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Water, All That Water
Theresa BarkerWater, all that water between Seattle and Hawaii.
Driving along the comma-road edge
of water in the dark,
Turn left and you’ll fall into the ocean.Driven along the edge of the water:
How many long-ago paths lie beneath this highway?
Turn left into the ocean and you’re drowning,
Canoes pass between islands.How many roads lie beneath the land
crossed by lost ancient ones.
Swim your canoes between islands,
Catch the silvery fish wink in an eye.Cross the ancient paths
of water in darkness,
Catch the silver eyes of fish among
water. All that water between here and there.
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More information about Pantoums here.
When I fly across the ocean in a plane I am struck by how immense it is. All that water. Do you live near the ocean? Do you have a favorite part of the ocean? What is your favorite ocean memory?
I live by the Pacific Ocean, your words resonate with an undulating rhythm reminding me of waves and wind – now I’m wondering about the hidden paths on land and by sea!
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Wow! This is really thought provoking! I love the style, and lovely choice of words! Just wanted to stop by and let you know I’ve nominated you for the Versatile Blogger Award 😊
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Ah! Thank you, yellowfuzzy duck! (I love that moniker! I’m so glad you let me know you enjoyed it. 🙂
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Of course! (And thank you!)
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and I’m still enjoying your interesting posts! (I’m a little behind in my reading, but I’ve your recent post in my inbox, waiting to be read!)
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I’m so glad you enjoy them! Your blog is one of my favorites! 🙂
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me too! It’s so refreshing! Your writing “voice” combined with the visual elements makes your blog fun and interesting to read!
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Oh, I’m sorry, I forgot to reply to the Versatile Blogger Award nomination. Thank you! This means so much to me. I appreciate that you took time to identify me as a blogger that you admire. Many thanks.
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You are welcome! I am excited to read your response 😊
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yellowfuzzyduck, I want to especially thank you for including me in your nominations. I am currently enjoying the blog-reading and the community without participating in blogging awards. I very much appreciate your visits to my blog, and I have enjoyed my time reading yours as well.
I am truly honored that you thought of me to nominate for this award. Thank you so much for being one of my readers; your attention on my work is more than reward enough! :). I hope you will continue to visit and I look forward to reading more of your work!
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Of course! You deserve it! I totally understand, though I would have loved to read your response. I love your work, and your blog is one of my favorites. Thank you so much, Theresa! Your visits and comments mean the world to me!
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Ah! Thank you so much! Those are really interesting questions – I might need to publish a post with the response. 🙂 Thank you for all your encouragement!
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Very good, Teresa! I went to the Young Writer’s website and found the sample, and saw other forms of poetry. Thank you for the resources. This one seems easy to follow!!
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Hah! I’m loving the Pantoum because it’s so mathematical. 1234 5264 7586 … etc! I’d love to see you try this, Miriam!
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A thought provoking piece Theresa! Some great visuals too. Loved ‘canoes swimming between islands’ 🙂
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Oh, thank you, Dahlia! I was traveling this week in Hawaii and you can just imagine the canoes from olden times, going back and forth among the islands. ❤️
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Thanks to you, even though I havent been there, I can imagine 🙂
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I’ve always thought that writing in a particular set style is an interesting and difficult exercise.
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I agree! Even though it seems like it would be less creative, I find using a set form often makes my work more creative. Paradox! Thanks for sharing your observations with me!
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Wonderful poetry, my friend. I’m still trying to convince myself that Pantoum is something I can do but I’m failing. Haha! It seems too difficult. The technical part of it sends me running back to Tanka.
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Ah! Maybe you are a Tanka person! I struggle with those. I look forward to reading more of your poetry soon. ❤️
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We complement each other. 🙂 I must really write at least one a week.
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